Internal combustion engines consist of many moving parts, each made of metal. In the absence of lubrication, such as oil, the parts moving at high speeds will fuse to the parts of the engine they come in contact with, causing the engine to seize. To prevent seizure of the engine, lubrication, most commonly oil, is circulated throughout the engine to reduce friction between moving parts and allow metal parts to move at high speeds without damaging the engine.
Smaller, two stroke engines have oil mixed in with the fuel supply as a means for lubricating the internal parts. Bigger, four stroke engines, use oil pumps and circulation systems to provide lubrication to all moving parts. The continued functioning of the circulation system is imperative to assure the long life and proper operation of the engine.
Some smaller four stroke internal combustion engines, such as motorcycle engines, use a breather gear to regulate the flow of oil throughout the internal cavity of the engine. Wear and tear on the breather gear cannot be easily monitored, as the breather gear is a part internal to the engine and cannot be seen without partially dismantling the engine. The breather gear is relatively expensive but, over and above the cost of replacing a breather gear is the cost of the damage to the engine upon failure of the breather gear to provide adequate oil circulation. Upon complete failure of the breather gear, the engine may seize. Also, if part of the breather gear, such as a tooth, breaks loose from the gear, damage to the engine is caused by a loose metal part in the engine.
There is a need in the prior art for an oil circulation system having a minimal number of parts.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oil distribution system for an internal combustion engine.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oil distribution system using forces normally generated by an engine to distribute oil throughout the engine.
It is another object of the invention to provide an engine having a series of ports to circulate oil.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oil distribution system providing adequate lubrication with a minimum number of moving parts subject to failure.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.